Tips & Trips
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
ON THE WATER
In March, a Stanford marine biologist and two John Steinbeck scholars will board the seven-night “Whales and Wildlife” cruise in Cabo San Lucas. There they will enlighten fellow passengers on the area’s abundant marine life as recorded by Steinbeck and his co-author, marine biologist Ed Ricketts, in the classic 1941 book “Log from the Sea of Cortez.” Timed to coincide with the height of the whale migration season, the cruise will call at locales mentioned in the book and will give passengers an opportunity to join guided walks through exotic flora as well as swim, snorkel, and kayak in pristine waters.
For more information, call 800-888-9378 or visit www.cruisewest.com.
SAFARIS
Karen Blixen’s book “Out of Africa,” written under the pseudonym Isak Dinesen, made her husband, Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke, famous. Today, his great-nephew, Baron von Blixen-Finecke, runs “Blixen’s Africa,” through which he designs custom itineraries in South Africa and Botswana, as well as Kenya and Tanzania. Clients can start their travel in Sweden, with a stay at Nasbyholm, the ancestral seat of the Barons von Blixen, pay a visit to the Karen Blixen home/museum, and have dinner with the present-day Baron and Baroness. Bror von Blixen’s godson, author of a book on Bror, will accompany travelers to East Africa, providing insight into the man made famous by the movie.
For more information, call 888-220-4532 or visit www.blixensafrica.com.
TROPICAL DINING
CusisinArt Resort & Spa, in Anguilla, features its own hydroponic farm and organic garden, which chef Daniel Orr, formerly of Guastavino’s, puts to good use for visitors stopping in for “The Culinary Weekend Escape.” Hydroponics, the practice of cultivating plants in water, is a new way of providing fresh vegetables to the Caribbean. The garden is pesticide-free and qualifies the resort as one of the first in the islands to grow its own produce. Priced at $1,295 for two and available through December 14, the culinary weekend includes three nights in a beachfront suite, a cooking class, and dinner for two.
For more information, call 800-943-3210 or visit www.CuisinArtResort.com.
BUDGET TRAVEL
Ten new paradors will open in Spain by the end of 2005. These government-run hostelries will occupy palaces and monasteries, as well as a pilgrim’s hospital and a Moorish fortress. The 65-room, four-star, Parador de Limpias, in Cantabria, a World Heritage site, once served as the Palace of Equilior, and its grounds now boast stands of 100-year-old laurels. In Castile, the Parador de Leon Hostal de San Marcos, known as one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in the country, features a Plateresque facade depicting religious and historical events, as well as 16thand 18th-century cloisters overlooking beautiful gardens. Double rooms range from $117 to $175.
For more information, call 800-223-1356 or visit www.marketingahead.com.